A major redevelopment of Union Square set the stage for our work in supporting Somerville Community Corporation and the Union United campaign to ensure the community is not left behind in the process. The purpose of this project was to research and translate planning documents and studies in order to communicate the context and impact of a potential Community Benefit Agreement. We looked at five priority areas as laid out by Union United and researched the comparisons between what US2, the developer, was proposing and what Union United wanted to happen. These five priority areas included affordable housing, good jobs and job training, community and green space, and small businesses. To accomplish this, we analyzed local studies, census data, planning documents and Union United’s documents regarding their priorities. The next step was researching compelling ways of presenting the collected data and figuring out which information and how much of it was needed to highlight the advantages of a Community Benefits Agreement that Union United is advocating for. The six resulting information display boards can be used as a quick glance overview of what is happening in Union Square as well as introduce the issues with the development and proposed ways they can be mitigated and can be found in Appendix A. They serve as a strategic communication form to engage the public and make Union United’s concerns visible and accessible.
Collaborators: Alex Acuña, Azka Mohyuddin, Bella Purdy, Collyn Chan, Morgan Augillard
